HLSC 600 Discussion 3
Preparedness
Preparedness refers to a range of activities done in advance of a disaster (Phillips et al.,
2016). The intended purpose of preparedness activities is to help communities, organizations and
individuals improve their overall response capabilities. Generally speaking, people must have the
ability to understand and assess what hazards they face. This includes the types of problems that
will likely occur when a disaster strikes such as the loss of electricity and other necessary
utilities. Lastly, there must be precautionary measures taken to minimize the impact. We are
living in an ever-changing world dependent on modern technology and services. While the threat
of disaster cannot be eliminated, there are plenty of mitigation and preparedness efforts that can
be taken improve outcomes for all potentially affected.
Levels of Preparedness Activities
There are basic levels of preparedness, ranging from low to high (Phillips et al., 2016).
Ideally, as many precautionary measures as possible should be undertaken in order to ensure a
high level or maximum resiliency. The lowest level of preparedness will result in the most
negative effect when a large-scale disaster strikes.
Communities can play a big part in preparation by informing the community of steps that
should be taken in advance of a known threat such as a hurricane. Every area is prone to certain
risks so conducting a risk analysis to identify hazards helps prevent the widest range of threats to
a community (Phillips et al., 2016). Developing and providing checklists of items needed before
a storm, storm tracking maps and evacuation routes are important preparedness activities that get
the public engaged and educated. Having an emergency operations center that is well maintained
provides a centralized location to manage the emergency response when a disaster occurs. All of
the warning systems and equipment should be tested and ready to go. In addition, communities
should conduct drills and when necessary, establish mutual aid agreements with surrounding
communities (Phillips et al., 2016). Exercises to test readiness should be done on a state and
federal level, since many disasters have large impact potential. The Homeland Security Exercise
and Evaluation Program requires at a minimum “In order to achieve the basic level of
preparedness, all local governments and emergency management organizations must conduct at
least one emergency management exercise per year” (Prendergast et al., 2022, p. 20).
Organizations do many of the same preparedness activities done by individuals such as
establishing checklists, informing employees, and conducting drills (Phillips et al., 2016).
Determining what steps should be taken to protect buildings such as adding backup generators
along with adding specialized business interruption insurance can protect organizations as well.
Another important part of preparedness includes local business purchasing emergency supplies
the community will need such as canned goods, bottled water, batteries, plywood, generators,
gasoline, etc.
Individuals should obtain disaster-related information and attend meetings to learn about
disaster preparedness. Since many individuals and families often ride out storms, they will need
to purchase adequate supplies of food, water, flashlights, radios, batteries, first aid kits, etc. In
addition, they should also have knowledge in first aid and have a family emergency plan for
possible threats (Phillips et al., 2016). After a disaster is not the time to find out you don’t have
the necessary insurance either! Unfortunately, time and time again many individuals engage in
little to no preparedness activities despite the warnings.
Factors that Influence Preparedness
Individual behavior can very much influence preparedness to hazards and disaster events.
Sometimes going through a disaster helps shape the mindset people have towards disaster
preparedness. At the organizational level, lessons learned provide evidence of the importance to
engage in preparedness activities. Communities devastated by disasters become experienced,
which often helps them develop better response capabilities (Phillips et al., 2016). On the
individual level, people who survive a major disaster develop a heightened awareness which
shapes their risk perception. This forms a foundational subculture of individuals and
communities that recognize threats and how to respond. Of course, conversely there can also be
an element of negative reinforcement that can occur when disasters don’t result in widespread
destruction or loss of life. People can develop a false sense of confidence that causes them to
take unnecessary risk based on their perceptions.
There are different interrelated cultural element, both material and non-material, that
make up an overall mindset. In the United States, it is generally accepted that disaster
preparation and mitigation efforts are worthwhile because we believe we can do something about
a potential threat (Phillips et al., 2016). That isn’t universal though as there are many cultures
that believe natural disasters are “acts of God” that are destined to occur. This is why repeat
largescale disasters occur in disaster prone regions and often have the same terrible results.
Whether it is considered apathy or divine punishment, what is noteworthy that cultural attitudes
play a big part in their preparedness. This isn’t to say modern first-world countries are immune
from similar fates. As we have seen in the United States, certain areas also have preparedness
levels that are generally low (Phillips et al., 2016). City leadership has allowed projects to
proceed in hazardous places because it will stimulate economic growth and added tax revue. In
other cases, the desire to maximize profits can lead developers to build in areas susceptible to
flooding. As we saw with the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the risks of catastrophic failures were
overlooked in order to satisfy our quest for cheap oil.
Disasters have been a threat to mankind since the beginning. The Bible speaks of the
importance of preparedness saying, “Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy
company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them” (King James Bible,
1769/2017, Ezekiel 28:7). This applies to preparation on both the individual and community
level.
References
Prendergast, D., Ramirez, J., Rea, M., Stroud, G., Zollo, M., & Portugal, J. (2022). A Review of
Local Government Emergency Management Planning and Policy Challenges.
Phillips, B. D., Neal, D. M., & Webb, G. R. (2016). Introduction to Emergency Management
(2nd Edition). Taylor & Francis.
https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781315394688
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org
(Original work published 1769)
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